Moving men, through God, by prayer alone

So I am currently writing a biography, not to be mistaken for an autobiography (I might have been saying autobiography this whole week...), on Hudson Taylor. You can say that Hudson Taylor was a man of prayer. A man who understood that if God calls you to do His work, it can only be done by God, which requires prayer by the man. All week I have been encouraged and challenged by Taylor's lifestyle; by his never ceasing prayer life.

Funny how God works in our lives and how He meets us right where we are at. Lately I've been consumed by internal struggles. Struggles of seeing things that need to happen but being overwhelmed by the thought of the task alone. Prayer has proven to be the only solution. The only problem is that I have not yet fully comprehended the power or necessity of prayer. So I have lacked.

Over the last few weeks, God has been drawing me to prayer; over and over I have been amazed, and then ashamed. Amazed at the workings of God, and ashamed that I often think I can accomplish things without prayer and knowing what God is doing. Each time God proves to be Himself, I'm drawn closer and I comprehend just a little more. As I have been reading about the life of Hudson Taylor, I have seen countless times where Taylor had nothing but prayer. So he prayed. And God was there. Why do we not pray?

There are concrete things that God is teaching me about prayer and about my relationship with Him. I'll attempt to put my thoughts into words here.

First ~ God will do what He will do whether or not we are there with Him. I say that, not to say He does what He does and never thinks of us; but to say that He is at work and if we are not seeking Him to know what He is doing then we miss out. He still works; we just aren't a part of that one. How do we find where He is? We pray. Because He gives wisdom to those who ask.

Second ~ We pray, not to ask 8 million selfish things of God, but to find out what He is doing and where He wants us. There are things that I can physically do on my own, like finding a space to hold an English club. I can not pray about it, and still find a place. But I pray, and say "God, where do you want this English club to be." The outcomes may be different. I want to be where He is doing things; that is where I will see things happen.

Third ~ It all leads me to praying God's will. It is a fact that God has called me to this city to tell these people about Jesus. But, when and where and how is of God's will. So dare I not walk out of my house with the purpose of telling someone about Jesus, without first asking through prayer, Where? When? How?

I stand amazed at His power. Not because He answers MY prayers. But because, when we pray and seek Him, He has the power to tell each and every one of us exactly where He wants us, exactly when He wants us, and exactly what He wants us doing. He orchestrates the universe. Wow. I can't even remember the difference between biography and autobiography.

So I want to follow in Hudson Taylor's footsteps, and "move men, through God, by prayer alone."